500 practice questions for the Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) exam, built on the test plan from NHA's 2024 job analysis. They follow its 5 domains, weighted the way the real exam is: Routine Blood Collections (28 of the 100 scored items), Safety and Compliance (26), Patient Preparation (20), Processing (14) and Special Collections (12), and they cover all 68 tasks under them. Most are moments in the draw chair or at the bedside: which tube comes after the light blue, how long the tourniquet can stay on, what to do when the needle is in and nothing flows, which bottle a butterfly fills first, and where a heel stick goes on a newborn. Each is tagged to its test plan task, so your score report shows exactly where you miss, and every answer explains why the best choice is best and names its public source.
The real test: 120 multiple-choice questions (100 scored, 20 unscored pretest) in 2 hours, at your school, a PSI test center or by live remote proctoring. It is scored from 200 to 500 and 390 passes, so there is no fixed percent; you can retest after 30 days, up to 3 attempts. It follows NHA's CPT test plan from its 2024 job analysis: 5 domains, Routine Blood Collections (28 of the 100 scored items), Safety and Compliance (26), Patient Preparation (20), Processing (14) and Special Collections (12). Our practice test is full length, 100 scored questions plus 20 unscored, split by the test plan's item counts, passing at 70% (70 of 100).
Here: 500 questions. Our own practice questions, built on NHA's CPT test plan (2024 job analysis) and written from public sources (CLSI GP41, GP42 and GP44 as publicly summarized, the WHO guidelines on drawing blood, BD tube guides, OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens standard, CDC, NIOSH, CLIA, HIPAA, FDA donor rules, DOT's drug testing rule and MedlinePlus), with every answer's source named. Topics are the 5 domains of the test plan. Not NHA's test questions. Free.
Start studying, freeOpens the Phlebotomy Ticket study guide. No sign-up, nothing to install.| Topic | On the test | In the guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Safety and Compliance | ~26 | 130 |
| 2. Patient Preparation | ~20 | 100 |
| 3. Routine Blood Collections | ~28 | 140 |
| 4. Special Collections | ~12 | 60 |
| 5. Processing | ~14 | 70 |
"On the test" is the rough share of a 100-question test for each topic, following the exam's published weights.
Which federal agency writes and enforces the Bloodborne Pathogens standard that covers phlebotomists?
D. OSHA
A patient says their religion makes them uncomfortable being touched by someone of another gender. What is the best response?
A. Ask whether they'd like another collector, if one is available
Which needle gauge is the usual choice for a routine adult venipuncture?
D. 21 gauge
Which skin prep is the usual choice before drawing blood cultures on an adult?
D. Chlorhexidine in alcohol, scrubbed about 30 seconds, then dried
What is the difference between serum and plasma?
B. Plasma still has fibrinogen; serum is what's left after clotting
Within how many working days of starting a job with blood exposure must the employer offer the hepatitis B vaccine?
D. 10 working days
The record lists a legal name, but the patient tells you they go by a different name and use they/them. How do you handle ID and conversation?
B. Verify with the legal identifiers; use their name and pronouns
Which device is best for a patient with small, fragile hand veins?
D. A 23-gauge winged (butterfly) set with small tubes
Before the needle pierces a blood culture bottle, what do you do to the bottle top?
C. Remove the cap and wipe the septum with alcohol, letting it dry
Within what time does CLSI advise separating serum or plasma from cells for most chemistry tests?
B. 2 hours of collection